Rating of
2.5/4
"The Desert Fox" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 02/12/12
The first of two appearances by James Mason in one of his defining roles as Erwin Rommel, telling the story of his life from hero of the third reich through to his eventual disillusionment with Hitler and involvement in the plot on his life. No doubt inspired by Churchill's wartime tribute to the man, The Desert Fox is an acknowledgement of the skill and integrity of one of the world's greatest military tacticians which takes great pains to distance him from Hitler and the Nazi party. It is a typically romantic British attempt to be graceful in victory and is clearly meant as an attempt at reconciliation with Germany and its people; the story vehemently shows that Rommel and many of his colleagues were merely professional soldiers doing their duty to their country, unwillingly following the orders of a maniacal tyrant whom they had to obey under pain of death. It is basically de-dehumanizing an enemy that wartime propaganda had spent the previous years rallying the British public against. Mason is superb in the leading role, and every scene that features the exchanges between he and an excellent supporting cast paint a believable and respectful portrait of the man. Unfortunately the pacing stutters as it constantly feels the need to show the gallant allied forces through actual documentary footage and Michael Rennie's voice over makes this biopic feel like a dry inventory of the events of his life, but it's a fascinating story and worth it for Mason's performance alone.
